Two-by-two rib knitted fabric with selvage



Dec. 7, 1954 w. A. zlEvE 2,696,095

TWOBYTWO RIB KNITTED FABRIC WITH SELVAGE Sheets-Sheet 1 ffl-w y @MimiMm@ www SwOi? 513m@ im@ www @JOS 2 S 5MM@ @HSW S United States Patent OTWO-BY-TWO RIB KNIT'IED FABRIC WITH SELVAGE William A. Zieve, Brooklyn,N. Y.

Application March 31, 1952, Serial No. 279,534

23 Claims. (Cl. 66-172) The present invention relates to selvaged ribknitted fabrics, such as are used for bottoms, cuffs, and/or collars andthe like on garments, gloves or hose.

The main object of my invention is to provide a two by two rib knittedfabric with a special selvage in which the wales forming front ribs andthe wales forming the back ribs, in the course or courses forming theselvage, arie1 not shogged or racked to cross with respect to each o er.

Another object is to provide a two by two rib knitted fabric providedwith a selvage as indicated and of such advantageous construction thatis adapted for economic production on simpler type machines.

It is also a practical object to have such a selvaged two by two ribknitted fabric as indicated that may be produced on such types ofmachines as have two banks of needles, but is readily produced in mostadvantageous manner on circular rib knitting machines of the cylinderand dial type construction.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear in greaterdetail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for aproper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention isillustrated on the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and inwhich:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic layout of a selvaged two by two fabricknitted in what may be termed string formation as a continuation from apreviously knitted length of the same fabric joined to it by a drawthread, and as produced on a typical machine for knitting fabrics ofthis class;

Figure 2 is a similar diagrammatic layout of such a selvaged two by tworib knitted fabric with the draw thread removed;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic layout of a variation of that shown in Figure1; and

Figure 4 is also a diagrammatic layout of a two by two rib knittedfabric having no selvage, and illustrating how some of the Wale loopstend to ladder or run upwardly from the edge when they are not held bythe selvage strand.

In these views, the same reference numerals indicate the same or likeparts or features.

Heretofore, when a selvaged two by two rib fabric was knitted on acylinder and dial type rib knitting machine in conventional manner, itwas necessary to rack the dial needles in relation to the cylinderneedles in forming the selvage. However, normally, this procedure ofthis racking operation slows down production, and in addition, varioustroublesome features and phases of the operation tend to crop up andcontribute to delaying production. On the other hand, production of suchfabric up to now is limited to cylinder and dial machines especiallyequipped with racking and other mechanisms incidental to this operation,in order to enable the machine to rack either the dial or the cylinderwith respect to each other.

The fabric herein described (since the wales are not racked) lendsitself advantageously to manufacture on cylinder and dial machines otherthan just those equipped to perform the racking operation.

1 Hence, 1n the practice of my mventron; and referring also again to thedrawings, as shown in Figure l, references 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8,designate needle wales among which 1, 2, 3 and 4 form one repeat of thepres- ICC fabric generally indicated at k, and any desired number ofcourses may be included between the first course a and a draw thread z.In each of the views, the twoneedle rib formed by the wales 1 and 2indicate front ribs and are taken as facing the front of the fabric andare preferably knitted by the cylinder needles of the cylinder and dialmachine. Thus, a strand or yarn floated in back of these wales willappear on the back of the fabric k.

The two-needle rib formed by wales 3 and 4 are rear or back ribs facingthe back of the fabric, and are knitted by the dial needles. Thus, astrand or yarn floated in back of these wales will appear on the frontor face of the fabric. The wales of the inverted loops l1, 12, 13, 14,15, 16 and 17 between the needle wales 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 aretermed sinker wales and the loops forming these wales are thereforetermed sinker loops, although it is commonly known that cylinder anddial knitting machines do not ordinarily have sinkers to form suchloops. The stitches shown which form the selvage are exaggerated inorder to clarify the relative disposition and arrangement of the-loopsand courses. ln actual fact, the binder strand a is laid incomparatively tighter, and the interlooping of the following coursesmade by strands b and c makes the floats still tighter, but imparts thenecessary give or yield to the initial course required in practical wearof the fabric. The result is a novel and desirable ribbed selvage withample give or yielding character, with the floats enmeshed therein.

With the introduction of multiple feed knitting machines having acomparatively great number of feeds, the desirability of a selvagedknitted fabric made according to the present invention becomes even moreapparent, since it lends itself particularly well to those machineswhere production is paramount and due to space and timing limitations,the racking and allied mechanisms can not be incorporated in themachines.

lt is, of course common practice to produce knitted articles, such asbottoms, cuffs, collars, hose tops and the like in string formation.Such articles are knitted to any predetermined length and one article isconnected to the next in order by means of a knitted draw thread coursewhich is later pulled out in order to separate one article from theother. As already mentioned in connection with Figure l, the inventionmay be practised by connecting one fabric or article to be produced tofl, Ul

i than normally would be the case.

the previous, as for example fabric k to fabric m by the draw thread z,first forming apparently a single whole, but actually a series ofknitted two-by-two rib knitted articles in a sequence that remaintogether during pro- 'duction, but are separated by removal of the drawthreads between the articles. Thus, to produce such articles of theselvaged two by two ribbed fabric, the end of fabric as shown in m isknitted substantially as per the arrangement illustrated by strands u,v, w, x, and y, etc., as already outlined.

Eand depending on the nature of the yarn strand used, that is, thetendency of the loops of the discontinued wales to slip out and rundownwards. Thus, as may be noted on the drawing, by welting wales 1, 3,and S at courses t to x, while the intermediate wales have l beenknitted for several loops, the strain and conse- 'quent tendency to rununder normal conditions have been removed from wales 2, 4, 6 and 8 inthis area of the fabric. The course knitted by strand y is then knittedas shown, and is preferably knitted more loosely Draw thread z is veryloosely knitted at wales 1, 3, 5 and 7.

The same result may be effected in another manner, 1f desired, or if themachine lends itself to such opera- `knitted right up to and includingdraw thread z, in

which case the course knitted by strand z will be in regular two by tworib formation, and then Wales 2, 4, 6,

ent two by two arrangement, while letters a, b, c, d, e, f, and 8 castoff. The tension of the fabric take-up would g, h, and i indicatestrands forming courses in the ,r then cause these loops of theseparticular wales to slip out of at least the course formed by strand zand thereby cause the remaining loops of this courseV to become longerand thus more loose.

The looseness of the loops formed by the draw thread z and the precedingstrand y, as well as thev absence of the wales that have been cast offor dropped will facilitate easy withdrawal of draw thread z whichseparates the beginning of article k from the end of the previousarticle m in the string of articles being produced.

Considering the construction up to and including the draw thread strandz of Figure l, if strand a` which will form the selvage binder were nowknitted in regular two-by-two rib formation, the discontinued wales 2,4, 6 and 8 Would again be started and might appear to be bound. However,when the draw thread z is later removed, it will be seen that the. edgeis as shown by the course made by strand a in Figure 4. The sinker Waleloops 22, 24 and 26 are locked by virtue of their being included betweena Wale facing the front and a Wale facing the back of the fabric.

On the other hand, sinker Wale loops 21, 23 and 25 are not locked andwould therefore tend to ladder or run upwards from the erstwhileselvage, as shown by loop 25 in sinker Wale 15. In other words, therewould be no true or completely run-proof selvage. Hence, according tothis invention, strand a will. therefore be fed only to the needles thathave been bared, that is, to the needles forming the wales 2, 4, 6 and 8in Figure l, or' 1, 4, 5 in Figure 3, and oated behind the other wales.

lf knitting should be resumed, starting with strand b and proceeding inregular two-by-two rib formation, it Will be understood that all of thesinker loopswould be locked, thereby forming a true selvage. But ifregular two-by-two rib knitting were resumed immediately after strand awas picked up by the needles, as the dialI and cylinder needles thenadvance totake upv the next strand b, no means Would be present on aconventional cylinder and dial rib knitting machine for holding theoriginal course made by strand a which has been laid outfor loopformation on the bare needles. Then, as the hold on this strand a isslackened by advance of the needles, control of the formation is lost,and in some places the strand will even fall off the needle hooks, whilein others it will ride over the hooks of the needles of the oppositebank, causing it to` stray in haphazard manner off some needles Whilepiling up onother needles, thus causing improper or defective knitting,with consequent loss of the selvage binding effect desired.

To control this condition, the course of the fabric made by` strand bwill instead be knitted inrib formation on all dial needles and only onthose cylinder needles forming wales 1', 5, etc., ofl Figure l, andwales Z, 6, etc., of Figure 3 which were not previously bared. Thepreviously bared cylinder needles which then have only strandy a uponthem will remain in inactive or welt position during the course formedby strand b, and willl thereby hold strand a under controly until strandb forms loops i'n all of the other needle Wales, as best seen in Figures1 andy J' of thev drawings.

Regular two-by-two rib knittingl is thereafterv resumed for the requiredlength or number of coursesy c, d, e, f, etc. The resulting selvage ofthe fabric shownl in Figure l, when the draw threadv z is removed willappear as shown in Figure 2. It is thus seen that all of the wales arelocked against running.

If desired, prior to starting of the regular tWo-by-two rib knitting,but after the courses made by strands a and b have been knitted, variousforms of welting known to those skilled in the art may be resorted tofor imparting more body to the selvage or for they purpose of attainingother effects in the appearance of the. fabric. It is, of courseunderstood that such variations following the first two courses fallWithin the purview of the invention, and likewise, tucking instead ofwelting or floating, or knitting some of the loops forming the selvagein some instances also comes Within the bounds of this invention.

To those skilled in the art, it will be clear that certainfunctions ofthe dial and cylinder needle operations on some knittingmachines may beinterchanged without departing from the scope of the invention hereindisclosed. For example, the dial needles that Were previously bared mayremain inactive to keep the initial course under control, while theother `dial needles and all of the cylinder needles are activelyknitting instead of the' opposite arrangements as previously described.In that case,

Figures 1, 2 and 3 would illustrate a rear view of the fabric, the onlyydifference being av mere reversal andv no actual change of principleinvolved.

As shown in Figure 2, the structure of the fabric n includes the wales 1to 8 and courses a to i, etc., resemble their counterparts in Figure l,but at the lower portion, the draw thread z is merely represented by thereference z as it has been Withdrawn from the fabric.

They selvagesk illustrated in Figures l, 2 and 3 are the simpler formsembodying: the invention, and for most purposes are entirelysatisfactory. Obviously, the machines upon which the present novelfabric is produced are not necessarily part of the invention, and thussuperfluous to illustrate, for the fabric and its construction andmethod of making constitute the invention as such in the forms describedand suggested hereinbefore.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to, and parts and features may bemodified or used without others within the scope of the appended claims.

Having: now fully described my invention, I claim:

l. In a continuous string formation knitted fabric, having a series offabric articles, the features including upon the beginning ofv eachfabric a selvage formed of at least one course of loops and a courseformed of a draw thread interconnecting the selvage with the end of theprevious fabric in the string or series, each fabric being a two by tworib knitted fabric having Wales forming frontfribs and wales formingback ribs in the course or courses forming the selvage. independently ofracking or shogging to mutually cross with respect to each other.

2. A two by two rib knitted fabric according to claim l, wherein a Walerepeat has the second- Wale upward loops of the rst course. extending upabout the bases of the upward loops of the third course, and the drawthread course has loops extending up about the bases of the loops of thefirst and third upward loops in the secondcourse above the draw threadcourse.

3. A two by two rib knitted fabric according to claim l, wherein a Walerepeat has the thread of the tirst course above the draw thread courseincluding upwardly extending loopsy individually extending up about thebase of the loops of the secondv Wale of the third course and about thebasey of the *loop of the fourth Wale of the secondi course, and whereinthe draw thread is formed into a course of upward loops extendingindividually up about the bases ofthe loops forming the first and thirdWales of thesecondE course with the first loop ofthe draw threadextending over upon the front of the fabric andthe second loop extendingupon the rear of the fabric.

4. A two by two rib knitted: fabric knitted in string formation, said`fabricbeing knittedv in frontand rear wales in palrs and having aselvage including a lrst courseformed with a th-readwith individualloopsextending up about the bases of the second loopv of the Wale repeatof the third course and al second course having upward'` loops extendingindividually `up about the bases of thev loops of the first', third'fandfourth: loops of the third: course, the rst course having an upward looplin the fourthl Wale extending up about the base of they thirdvloop ofthe second courseA in the fourth Wale.

5. two by two rib knitted fabric according to claim 4', whererntfa drawthread connects the fabric with another following the same` in ythestringV formation andl includes a series ofi'loops inl a courseconnected to the beginning of the next fabricl inthe series andindividually extend'- ing up about the first and third Wales inth'efabric as found inthe second course-at the Abases of the loopstherein.

`6. A two by two rib knitted fabric with a selvage having a binderstrand initiating vone wale of each of' the pairs of Wales formingconsecutively the front and back ribs and floatingv across the otherwales followed by a'4 course knitted in all the back wales andonly inthose front wales which have not been initiated by 'the binder strand,followed by courses in which 'the wales are knitted' in two by two ribformation.

7. A selvaged two' byf two rib knitted fabric consisting of an initialcourse starting one needle Wale only of each pair of needle` walesforming consecutively the front and back ribs andifloatin'g' across theother wal'es, followed by a courseknitted in' all the 'walesof one faceandl only thoseV Wales' ofthe other face notA started' by theI `initialcourses, and' floated behind the wales in which it is` not knitted,followed' by courses knitted in all the Wales-in two by two" ribformation, the strand' of said:

initial course binding the initial sinker loop between said one needleWale and its adjoining needle Wale forming a pair in each of said pairs.

8. A selvaged two by two rib knitted fabric having an initial strandstarting in rib formation loops of one Wale of each of the pairs ofwales forming the front and back ribs respectively and lloating acrossthe other Wales, followed by a course knitted in all of the walesforming the ribs of one face and only those wales of the ribs of theother face which have not been started by the initial strand andfloating behind the others, followed by courses of two by two knitting,said initial strand binding the initial sinker loops between said oneWale and the Wale adjacent forming the pair, in each of said pairs,against running upwardly from the selvage.

9. A two by two rib knitted fabric with a selvage having an initialcourse starting loops of one Wale, as the right hand Wale, of the pairsof wales forming the front ribs and starting loops of one Wale, of thesame hand, of the pairs of wales forming the back ribs, and lloatingacross the other wales, followed by a course knitted in all the backwales and only in those front wales which have not been started by thestrand of the initial course, followed by courses in which the wales areknitted in two by two rib formation.

10. A two by two rib knitted fabric with a selvage having Jan initialcourse starting loops of one Wale, as the left` hand Wale, of the pairsof Wales forming the front ribs, and starting loops of one Wale, of theopposite hand, of the pairs of wales forming the back ribs, and lloatingacross the other wales, followed by a course knitted in all the backwales and only in those front wales which have not been started by thestrand of the initial course, and followed by courses in which the walesare knitted in two by two rib formation.

1l. A two by two knitted fabric with a selvage consisting of a bindercourse initiating one Wale only of each of the pairs of wales formingrespectively the front and back ribs and oating across the other wales,followed by a course knitted in all the back wales and only in 'thosefront wales which have not been initiated by the rst course and followedby courses in which the wales are knitted in regular two by two ribformation, said binder course being drawn tighter but rendered yieldableunder stress in Wearing by those loops of the second and third courseswith which it is interknitted.

l2. A series of selvaged two by two rib knitted articles knitted instring formation and joined one to the following by a draw-threadknitted in one Wale of each pair of wales forming consecutively thefront and rear ribs, each article starting with a course which initiatesthe other Wales of said pairs and floats past the wales knitted by thedraw-thread, followed by a course knitted in all the wales of one faceand only in those wales of the other face which have been knitted by thedraw-thread and floated behind the others, followed by the requirednumber of courses of a two by two knitting and ending in courses forminga downwardly run-resisting welt wherein the wales to be initiated by thestarting course of the following article are discontinued.

13. A series of selvaged two by two rib knitted tubular articles knittedin string formation and joined one to the following by a draw-threadknitted on one Wale of each pair of Wales forming consecutively thefront and rear ribs, each article starting with a course which initiatesthe other wales of said pairs and floats past the Wales knitted by thedraw-thread, followed by a course knitted in all the wales of one faceand only in those wales of the other face which have been knitted by thedraw-thread and floated behind the others, followed by the requirednumber of courses of two by two knitting and ending in courses forming adownwardly run-resistant welt wherein the Wales to be initiated by thestarting course of the following article are discontinued.

14. A series of selvaged two by two rib knitted articles knitted instring formation and joined one to the following by a draw-thread,wherein at the end of each article one Wale of each of the pairs ofWales forming consecutively the front and back ribs is welted forseveral courses, while alternate courses of said several courses areknitted in the other Wale of a pair in the pairs forming the front ribsand intermediate courses of the said several courses are knitted in theother Wale of a pair in the pairs forming the back ribs to form adownwardly run-resistant welt after which the loops of said other Walesare cast olf and discontinued, followed by a course knitted in theremaining wales in both the front and back ribs, followed by saiddraw-thread knitted loosely in same remaining wales in front and backribs, followed by the course formed by the initial strand of the selvageof the next following article, said initial strand initiating resumptionof knitting of the discontinued wales of front and back ribs andfloating past the others, followed by a course knitted in all the Walesof the ribs on one face and only those Wales of the ribs of the otherface which have been knitted by the draw-thread and floating behind theothers, followed by the required number of two by two rib knittedcourses.

l5. A series of two by two rib knitted articles each having a selvagecomprising a starting course initiating knitting in one Wale of eachpair of Wales forming consecutively the front and back ribs, followed bya course knitted in all the wales of the ribs forming one face and onlythose wales of the ribs of the other face which were not initiated bythe starting course, and floating behind the others, followed by therequired number of two by two rib knitted courses, ending with a groupof courses forming a welt providing a downwardly run-resistant portionwherein the loop of each of said one Wale of each pair is cast-off anddiscontinued prior to resumption of knitting in the next followingarticle, each of said articles being joined one to the following by adraw-thread knitted in the Wales which have not been discontinued.

16. The method of knitting a two by two rib knitted fabric with aselvage consisting of drawing a binder strand on one needle of each pairof needles knitting the front and back ribs respectively, and lloatingbehind the other needles by causing them to remain inactive, said oneneedle of each pair having previously been bared, followed by knitting acourse on all the needles of one bed and only on those needles of theother bed which did not take the binder strand and iloating behind theothers by causing them to be inactive, followed by knitting the requiredcourses of two by two rib by causing all the needles to operate in twoby two rib formation.

l7. The method of knitting a selvaged two by two rib knitted fabric on arib knitting machine consisting of drawing a binder strand in tightformation on one needle of each pair of needles knitting the front andback ribs consecutively and floating behind the others, said one needleof each pair having previously been bared, followed by knitting a courseon all the needles of one bed and only those needles of the other bedwhich did not take the binder strand and floating behind the others,followed by knitting the required number of courses of two by two rib,the two courses following the drawing of the binder strand acting tofurther tighten the binder strand in those wales where knitting wasinitiated by said binder strand, and the tension of the said wales ofsaid two courses yielding to render the binder strand yieldable understress in wearing.

18. The method of knitting a series of selvaged two by two rib knittedarticles in string formation each article being joined to the nextfollowing by a draw-thread knitted on one needle of each pair of needlesknitting respectively the front and back ribs, consisting of feeding intight rib formation the initial course of the article which initiatesknitting on the other needles of said pairs and floats behind theneedles holding the draw-thread stitches, followed by knitting a courseon all the needles of one bed and only on those needles of the other bedwhich have knitted the draw-thread, followed by knitting the requirednumber courses of two by two rib, followed at the end by knittingseveral courses to form a downwardly run-resistant welt in which theneedles on which knitting is to be resumed by the initial course of thenext following article are bared by shedding their loops, followed byknitting the draw-thread on those needles which have not been bared,followed by repeating these operations in the same order.

19. The method of knitting a series of selvaged two by two rib knittedarticles in string formation, on a circular rib knitting machine, eacharticle being joined to the next following by a draw-thread knitted onone needle of each pair of needles knitting respectively the front andback ribs, consisting of feeding in tight rib formation the initialcourse of the article which initiates knitting on the other needles ofsaid pairs and iloats behind the needles holding the draw-threadstitches, followed by knitting a course masones on; all ther needlesofone bedA and. only oir the needlest of' the-other bed which have.knitted the. drawLthread, followed by knitting the required. number ofcourses of two. by two rib, followed' at the: end `byknitting severalcourses to form a downwardly run-resistant welt after which the needleson which knitting-is to.` be. resumed `byv the initial course of thenext following article arebared/by shedding their. loops, followed byknitting the draw-thread `on those needles which have not been. bared,followed. by repeating these operations in the same order.

20. rl`her method of knitting a ser-ies of'selyaged two, by two, ribknitted tubular. articlesin string. formation, on a circular cylinderand diall ribknitting mach-ine,- each article being joined to the nextfollowing by adraw-thread knitted on one needle of each pair'of needlesknitting respectively the front and back ribs,` consisting` of` feedingin-` rib formation the initial course of the article which initiatesknitting on 'the other needlesof said pairsandifloats behindI theneedles holding the draw-thread stitches, followed by knitting a courseon all the needles of one bank and only on the; needles of the otherbank which have knitted the draw-thread, followed by knitting therequirednumber of courses of two by two rib, followed at the end byknitting several courses to form a downwardly run-resistant' welt in.which thel needles on which knitting is to beA resumed by the initialcourse of the next following article arebared by shedding their loops,followed by knitting the drawth-read on' those needles which have notbeerr bared,v followed by repeating these operations in the same order.

211, The method of knitting a selvaged two= by two rib knitted articlein string formation, one needle of each of the pairs of needles knittingthe front andI back ribs having suspended therefrom. previously knittedlsimilar articles by means of a draw-thread, the other needles beingbare, consisting of initiating knitting on all the bare needles in thefirst course whiley floating behind the other needles, followed byknitting a course on all the needles forming the ribs of one bed andonly those needles having the draw-thread loops thereon in thel otherbed, followed by knitting the required courses of two by two ribknitting, followed by knitting a complement of courses to form arun-resistant welt during which the needles, on which wales are to bere-initiated in the next following articles, are bared, followed by acourse of knitting on the continuing wales, followed by a draw-threadcourse knitted on the said continuing wales and repeating these steps.

22.A 'lhetmethod'ofA knitting'a selvaged t'wo-fby twoA rib knittedarticle in strong formation, one needle of each of the pairs of needlesknitting the frontand backrib's having suspended therefrom previouslyknitted similar articles by means of a draw-thread, the otherneedlesbeing bare, consisting of initiating knitting on all the bareneedles in the rst course. while-floating behindthe other needles,followed by knitting" a. course on all the needles forming the ribs ofone bed and only those needles having' the draw-thread loopsvthereon in.the other bed', followed by the required courses of' two by two ribknitting',- followed by knitting-a complementof courses toi form arun-resist-v ant welt, followed by knitting a course iny two by twol ribformation, followedvby knitting a draw-thread course two by two ribformation, followed by shedding the loops from thoseneedles of each ofthe pairs of needles knitting the front and back ribswhich are to bereinitiated in the next following articles andy repeating these steps.

.231. The method of knitting aselvaged' twoby two rib knitted fabric instring formation on a cylinder and dialrib knitting machine (withou-tracking the dial or' cylinder inl relation to each other), each articlebeing joined to the next following by a draw-thread knitted on oneneedle of each pair of needles kni-ttingy respectively the front andAback ribs, consisting of feeding in rib vformation the initiall courseof thev article which initiates knitting on -the bared other needles of"said pairs and floats behind the needles holding the ldraw-threadstitches, followed by knitting a course on all the needles of one bedandI only onthose' needles of the: other -bed which have knitted thedrawthread, followed by'v knitting the'y requirednumber of courses oftwo by twok rib, followed at they end byknitting'v several courses. toform` a downwardly run-resistant welt after which the needles on whichknitting is to beresumed by the initial course of the next followingarticle are -baredf by shedding their loops, followed by knitting thedrawthread onthose needles whichA have not -been bared, fol'- lowed byrepeating these operations in the same order.

References Cited inthe tile` of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NameDat

